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BIG5D Podcast Ep. 46: "Mixed Reality is the Future" with Realm Digital's Imtiyaz Mohamed
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BIG5D Podcast Ep. 46: "Mixed Reality is the Future" with Realm Digital's Imtiyaz Mohamed

"A lot of people think about it as gaming. But there are many practical use cases."

This episode of the BIG5D Podcast is presented by Fraktional.dev

Fraktional connects developers and organizations for short to medium-term projects.

Contact Fraktional.dev to learn more.


Welcome to Episode 46 of the BIG5D Podcast. In this episode, we receive an informal masterclass on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) from Imtiyaz Mohamed, the principal consultant at Realm Digital, a South African technology consulting firm. Mohamed is a great resource for how this technology is being practically applied.

One key area where Mohamed advises Realm’s corporate clients is how to put emerging technologies to work in the real world.

According to stats shared with us by Realm, AR/VR will generate revenues of more than $58 billion by 2028.

Source: Realm Digital

To many, AR/VR is Pokemon Go and Apple Vision Pro. But it is so much more, as we learn from Mohamed. For example, healthcare companies use this technology to refine new surgical techniques.

Non-medical safety training, including for catastrophic events, is another current-day use case for AR/VR that Mohamed cites. Here he talks about how VR makes it possible to train realistically for a mine collapse.

We hope you enjoy this highly informative conversation. If you want to geek out on AR/VR directly with Mohamed, write to him here.


Interview Excerpts

The following are just a few edited excerpts from our in-depth interview with Realm Digital Principal Consultant Imtiyaz Mohamed.

What is AR/VR and where do hype and reality part ways?

A lot of people think about [AR/VR] purely as gaming. But there are a lot of practical use cases.

What impact, if any has the Apple Vision Pro Had in Advancing AR/VR

In terms of what Apple has done, I think a lot of people buy Apple because of the brand. And that makes sense. They've built a cool piece of tech [with the Apple Vision Pro]. But I don't think they've found the real-world application yet.

How does AI intersect with AR/VR?

Many people look at emerging technologies as separate things. So you look at virtual reality, or augmented reality, or you look at AI. But they all intersect. For example, using AI to pull data into a virtual environment.

Prefer your podcasts on video? Watch this episode on YouTube here.


The BIG5D Podcast features in-depth conversations with the leaders who are building, investing in, or taking to market the digital products and services designed to make businesses more successful in Africa and the Middle East.

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Thank you Fraktional.dev for sponsoring this episode of the BIG5D Podcast.

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In-depth conversations with the innovators and entrepreneurs building the tech ecosystems for small and local businesses in Africa & The Middle East.